ALEX.
I laughed when the blue block toppled over.
Or at least, I pretended to.
One of the twins clapped excitedly. “You lost again, Aunt Alex!”
“i did not,” I said lightly, reaching for another block. “I was distracted.”
“By what?” the other twin asked, eyes bright with curiosity.
“By you two,” I replied, smiling because that was easier than telling the truth.
My hands moved automatically as I stacked the blocks again, but my mind wasn’t there. It hadn’t been there since earlier, since Niko’s words had landed like a hammer against my chest.
She means nothing to me.
The sentence replayed over and over, each time cutting deeper.
I swallowed hard and focused on the game, on the small living room filled with soft laughter and scattered toys, on the way the twins’ joy filled the space
